The Fruits of Our Labor
by MayBates
Summary: Modern AU: When life strikes Anna down, will John be the one that helps her onto her feet? While John inherits a farm from his father's will, Anna struggles just to get by. After the two meet in odd circumstances, will their exchange blossom into something much more?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi guys! I'm really excited to start this fic. It actually stemmed from a dream of mine, and my muse just wouldn't let it go. Enjoy!**

 _ **The Fruits of Our Labor**_

* * *

Anna woke up late in her small apartment, sitting up and stretching. Her whole apartment smelled faintly of must and mildew. This was through no fault of her own, for the apartment had reeked ages before Anna had even moved in. Her living quarters were incredibly cramped, and the apartment was certainly not a decent one. Water stains were scattered across the ceiling, and the walls were very thin. Anna cringed as she remembered how many times she had heard her _lovely_ next-door neighbors making love. Even so, Anna kept her flat in pristine order. Everything had a place, and everything was quite organized.

She lowered her bare feet to the carpeted floor and scratched her head, messy blond locks falling to her shoulders. Anna trudged to her tiny kitchen, ready to prepare breakfast for herself. She looked in the fridge. Nothing. She looked in the drawers. Nothing. Finally, Anna opened the cupboard and found four containers of ramen. Shrugging, Anna heated one up and began to eat it slowly. She glanced over at her calendar to see if she had any job interviews scheduled today. Today was blank. Anna blinked sadly, slurping up noodles. Ever since that prick, Thomas, got her fired for no reason, she couldn't find any kind of work. Rubbing her forehead, Anna picked up yesterday's newspaper she had been meaning to read. The headline read " **Beloved Farmer Joe Bates Dies; Son Inherits Farm** ". Anna raised her eyebrows. Flipping open the newspaper to read more, she found that this headline was about Bates Farms, the same farm that she used to explore after school as a child. "Beloved?" Anna asked aloud, smirking. "I can't think of anyone who loved that grumpy old coot." She called back memories of Joe Bates trying to chase her off the property, cane waving in the air. Anna thought back, and she never knew that old Bates had a son. She didn't even know he had a wife. "Maybe divorce." Anna said under her breath, folding the newspaper and tossing it into the recycling.

Anna finished her ramen, cleaning up and changing out of her pajamas in her bedroom. She found one of her light coats, and when she put a hand in the pocket, Anna discovered a rather wrinkled twenty dollar bill. She smiled to herself as it seemed like a gift from heaven to her. "I'll buy food… then one drink at the bar," She planned out in her head. Thinking that this coat must be good luck, Anna slipped it on and set out.

As morning turned into noon, Anna turned slightly irritable as her little silver-colored car refused to cooperate, costing her five extra minutes for it to start up. After buying various cheap food items, now stored in her car, Anna walked along the crowded sidewalk towards her favorite bar, Carson's Place. As she entered, she found that the bar was rather empty, except for a group of men at one end of the bar drinking like there was no tomorrow. She perked up as she heard a warm, loud, "Anna!" coming from the bar. Anna smiled and greeted the voice.

"Mr. Carson! It's nice to see you again!" She reached out and shook Mr. Carson's large hand.

"I've missed you, my girl. What can I get you?"

"Just a cider, please." Anna grinned, sitting in a chair at the bar, five seats away from the group of men. Mr. Carson nodded and started to fix her drink. Anna investigated the group, glancing in their direction every now and again. One man was tall, pale, and balding, one was on the shorter side, with brown hair and an Irish accent, one was blond and quiet, and all of them were around another man, whose features Anna couldn't quite make out. She thanked Mr. Carson for the cider and began to sip it slowly, trying to savor every drop. As minutes passed, more drinks were ordered by the male party. The group got drunker and drunker, and their conversations got louder and louder. Anna couldn't help but overhear their discussions, and she learned that the group included Joseph, Tom, Matthew, and John. Joseph, Tom, and Matthew uttered drunken phrases to John such as "Congrats, man", "You really deserve it", and "You'll turn that place around for sure". By this time Anna was sure that this "John" had won some sort of a promotion, but she couldn't be sure. As her glass now became half-empty, Joseph, Tom, and Matthew, parted ways with John, having already sobered up. Without a crowd around him, Anna could study his appearance. He was a large man, with broad shoulders and a bulky frame. John wore a red flannel shirt rolled up at the sleeves and some worn-out looking jeans. His face was kind, looking past the seemingly permanent drunken grin he had on his face. His greenish-brown eyes crinkled endearingly at the corners, and his chocolaty brown hair was tousled on top of his head. Anna was shocked at the amount of beers this man could down and still stay upright. After chugging down another beer, John finally ordered the check. Anna sighed with relief. She watched him struggle to his feet with much difficulty. As he ambled unsteadily to the door, Anna knew that he clearly wasn't in a state to be left unattended. He could get hurt, or he could hurt others if he decided to drive. Anna rubbed her forehead as she contemplated what to do. She finished her cider with a big gulp, thanked Mr. Carson, paid, and set out to find this man. It wasn't very hard; John was very tall and very wobbly. Anna followed close behind him. "Sir? Sir, are you alright?" John hadn't heard her and he stumbled toward the curb. "Sir!" Anna exclaimed. As John almost fell into oncoming traffic, Anna grasped his shirt collar with an iron grip. Adrenaline pumped through Anna's veins. She practically yanked him out of the road, cars whizzing by him. Anna tried to steady him and he looked down at her. "Who…who are you?" he slurred.

"Anna. I'm trying to help you." She said, out of breath and determined. "Follow me."

Anna slid her small hand into his large one, leading him out of the heavily populated sidewalk. As she led him to her car, Anna asked "What's your name?"

"Who wants to know?" John said, his mouth curved upward in a goofy grin.

"Where do you live?" She asked, growing annoyed.

"Anna, Anna, Anna" John hummed and giggled in a sing-song tone.

Anna sighed, knowing that he's clearly unresponsive. She opened her car's back door for him, with much difficulty. "Get in, please."

John obeyed, continuing to hum her name. Anna got into the front seat and attempted to start her car up. She prayed that her car would start with no problems, but instead, the car rumbled in protest. "Come on." Anna cursed her car. After three whole minutes, the car gave in, starting up with a roar. "Are you still okay back there?" She questioned, looking back at John. He gave her a drunken grin. "Okay, good." Anna sighed.

As Anna pulled up to her apartment complex, she wondered how on earth she would get John up four flights of stairs. She got out and wrenched the door open for him. He stumbled out, rubbing his forehead. "Come on." Anna motioned for him to follow her into the complex and up the stairs. After a lot of complaining and drunken observations from John, they reached her apartment. She opened the door for him and he ambled in, almost losing his balance. Anna coaxed him into her bedroom, after John took wrong turns into the living room, bathroom, and kitchen. He collapsed on her bed, taken in by the sweet scent of her sheets. Anna returned to him with a glass of water, but he was already fast asleep and snoring loudly. She sighed and left the glass of water on her nightstand. Anna covered him with her warm blankets, and fetched a couple from her small closet. She exited her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Anna looked at her watch. 11:23 pm. Rubbing her now droopy eyelids, Anna laid herself on her coach and threw the blankets over her small body. Anna's blue eyes glazed over as she fell asleep slowly, then all at once.

* * *

 **Don't forget to review! I'd really appreciate it! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate it! I'd also like to explain that John's personality in this fic is based on before he ever met Vera. He's full of life, yet quiet and stoic like the John we know in Downton. In this fic he's a little more of a playboy, but not a slacker and still a very hard worker. I just didn't want it to seem like he was out of character! This chapter is a little shorter, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless.**

 _ **The Fruits of Our Labor**_

* * *

John rolled over in bed as he began to wake up slowly. He moaned as he felt a searing pain in his forehead. As he opened his eyes, John realized that his surroundings were not familiar in the slightest. The bedroom he was in was incredibly small, and the sheets surrounding him smelled softly of flowers. "Oh no," John thought. "Did I sleep with someone?" He rubbed his eyes and saw that he was fully clothed in what he had been wearing the night before, so his worries were put to rest. He turned and slipped out of bed. John caught sight of a small glass of water that sat on the nightstand next to the bed. Gulping it down eagerly, he rose to his feet and stretched. John heard movement and the small clink of plates from outside the door, which he assumed came from the kitchen. Taking a deep breath and stepping outside of the tiny bedroom, he walked slowly out to the kitchen. "G-good morning?" John said warily as he turned the corner to face the kitchen. Before him stood a woman, the source of the floral smell on the sheets, and John guessed that she couldn't be much older than 25. She stood behind the kitchen counter, and she had long blond hair pulled up into a ponytail. She wore an oversized t-shirt accompanied by a pair of jeans that had seen better days. John saw her blue eyes sparkle as they met his.

"Ah" Anna smiled as she looked up from her morning tea. "Good morning. I'm glad to see you up. You must have a nasty headache from last night. Here…let me get you some water." She turned to the sink.

"Thank you, miss…"

"Anna Smith" She said over her shoulder, filling up a cold glass of water.

"John Bates" He introduced himself. _John Bates, Anna took note of. The very same man who inherited the farm._ John took a breath as his forehead throbbed. "Do you, by any chance, know what I did last night?" He eyed this unfamiliar woman as she handed him the glass.

"From what I know, you were drinking with your mates. They eventually left, and you probably drank a little more than you should have." She gave him a small grin. "I was sitting at the other end of the bar. I knew you wouldn't be sober enough to get yourself home, but you wouldn't tell me your name or where you lived, so I couldn't drive you there. At that point it was very late, so I made the decision to bring you to my flat."

"Thank you, I'm very grateful for that." John replied earnestly in between swigs of water. Anna nodded.

"Would you like some breakfast?" She offered.

"No, thank you." John replied. "But a cup of tea would be lovely."

Anna obliged, handing him a warm cup of tea. She noted that this stranger was a quiet one indeed, only speaking when spoken to, but she knew he was very thankful for her actions. After she finished her tea, Anna fetched a pile of junk mail that had been sitting in her living room and took it to the kitchen to sort through. As she moved the load of mail, an envelope slipped out and onto the floor. Anna set the rest of the mail on the counter, but before she could pick the rogue envelope up, she noticed her guest got there first. John gently picked up the envelope and handed it to her, noting the bright red stamp that red "URGENT" across the front. "Guess that one's urgent" He smiled at her as her small hand took the envelope from him.

"I guess so" Anna said, her normal soft voice became flat and serious.

"Is anything the matter?" John asked confused. Anna didn't respond, eyes intent on the envelope. She bit her lip, looking flustered. "I'm sorry," John said after his question. "I didn't mean to pry."

"Oh, no" Anna shook her head, snapping out of it. "It's not that big of a deal… I'm just pretty behind on my rent…" John noticed traces of tears welling up in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?" He said tenderly. Anna looked at him.

"Not unless you can offer me a job." Anna said jokingly, giving a sad laugh. John looked down, playing with his hands and thinking.

"You know…" He began. "You might just be in luck." He paused and looked back up at her, smiling as he saw some relief splash over her face. "I've inherited my father's farm, and it was left in quite a state. I've already moved into the house on the property, but I didn't make it much cleaner. I can't focus on keeping the house clean when I have to take care of the farm at the same time. The house isn't huge, but it's a decent size. If you were to come during the week and help me by cleaning it, I'd be very thankful. And I'd pay you, obviously. And think of it as a sort of 'thank you' for keeping me safe last night."

Anna couldn't believe her ears. A large smile flooded her face as it felt like God had sent her a guardian angel. "Truly?" Anna asked, her voice trembling with joy.

"Truly." John said, smiling back down at her.

To his surprise, Anna dropped the envelope and rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! You don't know what this means to me!" Slowly, John returned the hug, draping his arms around this small, appreciative woman. For once in his life, John felt generous. He felt fulfilled to have made Anna's day. John smiled to himself as he heard Anna whisper a seemingly never-ending stream of thank yous.


End file.
